Tomato Soup Recipes

Our entire family has been following the elections very closely. Knowing that Ohio is a key state in the home stretch, I did some research and found out that tomato juice was its official beverage. It's not warm enough to make tomato juice, so I made a warm tomato soup, using the very last batch of tomatoes in our garden.

I blended the ripe tomatoes with roasted red bell pepper, fried yellow onions, garlic, cumin, clove, fresh basil and crème fraîche. The result was very soothing and, to my surprise, the soup turned out very sweet and not acidic at all.

Gazpacho is a refreshing first course I just had to make before the summer ended. The preparation is very easy. Cucumber, roasted red bell peppers, onions and fresh tomatoes are blended together. I flavored the cold soup with garlic, lemon, tarragon, a bit of agave nectar and extra-virgin olive oil. To provide a touch of saltiness, I topped the soup with oil-cured olives.

I served it chilled with "oeuf à la coque"-style quail eggs ("soft-boiled eggs" in English). Accompany it with lightly toasted noor thin bread from the folks at California Lavash and you'll have a truly fun summer dish!

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Cream of tomato soup is a dish we make whenever I'm too lazy to go to the grocery store. It's flavorful, filling and easy to make. Best of all, the ingredients for the soup are usually available in our garden, pantry and refrigerator.

Because tomatoes are not fully grown in our garden yet, I used canned plum tomatoes and added heavy cream to give the soup a velvety texture. I also used a mirepoix of vegetables, which is a combination of coarsely chopped carrots, onions, leeks and celery. We usually eat tomato soup with a baguette, toast or a grilled cheese sandwich. Simple is beautiful!